Pain hit me like lightning—sharp, bright, and alive.
When I woke up, I had a scream stuck in my throat and my heart was racing like it wanted to leave my chest. The cracked window of my apartment let in some moonlight, but I could barely see it. My wrist was on fire.
Under my skin, a silver crescent had formed. It throbbed, and there was a soft, eerie shimmer like moonfire. I tried to wipe it off, thinking I had scratched myself or maybe fallen asleep on something hot.
But it wasn't going anywhere.
I had it in me.
And it was getting hotter.
I stumbled to the bathroom, turned on the light, and looked at myself in the mirror. The same messy dark hair. Face still covered in sweat. But that mark...
It pulsed again, this time with a whisper that wasn't a sound but a feeling. It felt like something old was watching me.
I took a step back.
Then I heard it.
A howl. Low. Deep. Not from a dog.
From something else.
Something crazy.
I ran to the window. My neighborhood, which was falling apart, was as quiet as ever, with the streetlights flickering as they always did. But there, just past the street, something moved in the dark.
A huge shape. Eyes that are yellow and glowing.
And it was looking at me.
My phone vibrated violently on the nightstand. I snatched it up.
UNKNOWN CALLER.
My gut said don't answer.
I did anyway.
"Maris Hayes," a man's voice said. Smooth. Calm. Dangerous. "You need to leave. Now."
I blinked. "Who the hell—?"
"They've scented you. They're coming. I'm two minutes out. Don't run."
The line went dead.
A chill scraped down my spine.
Then came the second howl.
Closer.
And the sound of something heavy slamming against the fire escape.
I grabbed my keys, a jacket, and the knife I kept under my bed. My legs were shaking. I didn't care. I wasn't going down without a fight.
I made it to the door just as the window exploded.
Shards of glass rained inward. A creature—not fully wolf, not fully human—lunged through the frame with a snarl, knocking over the lamp. Its claws tore through the floorboards as it stalked toward me.
I froze. My breath locked in my throat.
Then the front door was kicked in from the outside.
A tall man in a black suit stepped in, gun raised, calm like he was walking into a boardroom instead of a monster attack.
One shot.
Silver bullet.
The creature dropped without a sound.
Smoke curled from the gun barrel. The man didn't flinch.
His eyes—icy gray, sharp like steel—met mine.
"Maris Hayes?" he asked.
I nodded, barely able to form words.
He stepped forward, holstering the gun beneath his tailored jacket like this was just another day at the office.
"You're late," I rasped.
"You're lucky," he replied coolly. "It was almost someone else who found you first."
"Who are you?"
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a black leather folder. It wasn't a badge. It was… a contract?
He offered it to me like it was a wedding invitation.
"My name is Rowan Blackwood. CEO of Blackwood Global. Alpha of the Council's northern territory."
I stared at him. "A CEO and a werewolf?"
He smirked. "Multitasking."
I opened the folder, skimming the bold silver text. It was a marriage contract.
To him.
"You're insane," I said. "Why would I marry someone I just met?"
He stepped closer, his voice lowering. "Because that mark on your wrist? It's not just a tattoo. It's a brand. A claim. You're mine."
I took a step back. "Says who?"
He leaned down, close enough that I could see a similar crescent glowing beneath his collarbone—faint, but real.
"Your mark just appeared," he said. "Mine burned into me three years ago. I've been waiting for you, Maris."
The walls felt like they were closing in. My head was spinning.
"You expect me to just sign this?" I whispered.
"No," he said. "I expect you to survive. And if you don't come with me, you won't."
A second figure moved in the shadows beyond the broken window.
Another growl.
Rowan stepped in front of me, eyes sharp. "Decision time."
I looked down at my wrist. The mark pulsed again—harder this time.
"I didn't ask for this," I whispered.
"No one ever does," he said.
Then he reached for my hand.
"Come with me," he said. "Or die with them."